Nyctophobia
by Tarquin the Proud
Summary: Nyctophobia is the fear of the dark After being cast out of his lair in Hogsmeade, vampire Kurt Barlow threatened vengeance on James Potter & Co. After the conclusion of the 2nd War, Barlow's emmisaries return for revenge. Please R & R.


**Disclaimer:** The characters below either belong to J.K. Rowling, or, on occasion, to Stephen King's 'Salem's Lot. Read, enjoy, and please **Review**. Se gap lai nhe.

**Nyctophobia **

October nights are always dark in Hogsmeade. However, no night to date was the darkness quite so dense on the Earth. Against the eerie backdrop that the nightfall posed, a shriek pierced the chill air. The horrid sound resonated from a deserted quarter of the village near the ruined Shrieking Shack.

For many years, the town of Hogsmeade had assumed the Shack was the home of very violent ghosts. This rumour, which was spread by Dumbledore himself, was normally just a rumour. It served as a means for werewolf Remus J. Lupin to attend Hogwarts School without discovery and disgrace. However, there are things that are worse than ghosts that crawl about on this Earth. Things that lurk in dark, dank corners. Things that come out only when the last light of the setting sun has died. It was on this night that one of these things was cornered in the Shack.

A young man stood against a long wooden chest in the upstairs bedroom in the dilapidated residence. A horrible expression of deepest loathing and hunger was on his face. His cheekbones hinted at a Slavic descent—the man was, in fact, from the Carpathian Mountains. Standing across the room from him were three men, each oddly armed. A tall, gaunt, and somewhat sickly man lay unconscious on the floor between them. A bloody gash was across his otherwise uninjured neck.

The tallest of the three men suddenly moved forward. His complexion looked paler than normal due to the combination of his jet-black hair and the darkened room.

"Get back, Barlow. You shall not touch my friend again!"

"On whose authority, pray?" Barlow sneered. "How is it that you three, who have not lived but one lifetime, defeat me? I have lived a thousand lifetimes and though some have stood against me, none have prevailed."

"On the authority of a greater master," said the tall man. "I command you to be gone in the name of the Lord." With that, the tall man withdrew a crucifix from under his cloak. The sneer that had lingered on Barlow's chalky face disappeared almost instantly, replaced by fear.

Barlow let out a horrible cry as the cross lit up, as though it had a live wire within its very core. Emboldened by this, the tall man's compatriot rashly ran forward with a stake in hand.

"Sirius, no!" The tall man cried, but to no avail. Barlow brought down his fist with a force beyond comprehension. Sirius's stake fell as he crumpled to the floor. The tall man and his remaining ally advanced. Each held a crucifix.

Barlow saw that he would have no choice but to retreat against the onslaught.

"You may have beaten me today, but I shall return stronger than before. You will yet rue the day that you and your minions drove me from Hogsmeade, Potter." With that last promise of vengeance, Kurt Barlow transformed into a bat and soared out into the night sky. However, he had expected something of the sort to happen. Barlow took pride in being a chess player, and like all who play chess, he strategically placed his pieces to defend their king—himself. He had a plan of escape already waiting on the outskirts of the village. In this case, he positioned a Manchester born furniture connoisseur named Richard T. Straker waiting with a getaway car to drive him to London. From there, Straker would apply for visas to the New World, America to look for a new supply of lives to destroy and blood to suck. Once he had enough of an army, though, he would return to England for revenge on James Potter.

Back at the Shrieking Shack, James Potter and his only unmaimed companion Peter Pettigrew set to work reawakening the others. It was slow work, but soon they regained Sirius Black. Lupin was a lost cause for the moment. They would take him to Madam Pomfrey immediately.

"So, did we destroy him?" inquired Sirius upon reawakening.

"No, but he's fled. He won't be back for a while. Perhaps, he'll be gone for good."

"What if he returns?" Peter Pettigrew whimpered.

"Then we'll be ready for him," said James gravely.


End file.
